Sanctum
by Zachary Ryan
Summary: The world of Sanctum is seen by a group of seemingly average beings ranging from a brooding 17 year old boy to a cheery, boy-crazy 15 year old girl.
1. Chapter One, Overpass

**Chapter One: Overpass**

The hedgehog dominant town of Kellveesta in Byrmas has and always will be a boring place. Nearly closed off from the surrounding world, Kellveesta is a harbor of broken dreams. Nothing goes in; nothing goes out, excluding those who venture beyond the fenced-off overpass—the only route out of Kellveesta. Close ties are made here, and if broken, are lost forever.

The blistering heat is bordering unbearable on this particular June fourteenth. Ryan the Hedgehog is exceedingly warm in his signature black t-shirt. Luckily, he found some shade where he always goes to think. A hot gust of wind blew through his blue quills. A sigh saturated with emotion escapes his mouth. The deep shade of the overpass is the only comfort Ryan receives.

"Ryan!" A voice familiar to Ryan calls out. It's his friend Rose, a beautiful 15 year old green hedgehog with long, flowing dreadlock-like quills. "You know you should be here," Ryan is silent as Rose sits down adjacent to him. "How are you holding up?"

"What?" Ryan replies.

"Sean told me that your girlfriend… did some things…"

"Ex-girlfriend you mean."

"Oh, that's good. So you let her have it?"

"No, she broke up with me. I didn't have the backbone to break up with her. I didn't really even want to break up with her though. I could have forgiven her."

"Oh Ryan… grow a spine. I told you she would only end up hurting you. I knew she was no good for you." She drapes a very friendly arm around Ryan's hunched shoulders. "You'll love again. Come on." Rose grabs Ryan by the forearm and pulls him to his feet. "Let's find something to do."

"No, I don't want to do anything, Rose. I'm going to stay here."

Rose doesn't take no for an answer, as she pulls him from the depths of the overpass into the sweltering heat.


	2. Chapter Two, Brother

**Chapter Two: Brother**

Somewhere between Oldtown Kellveesta and Newtown Kellveesta lies a generic neighborhood. In this generic neighborhood there exists a generic apartment complex. The home of Rose is a small one. One shared with her older seventeen year old brother Spyke and mother Irena, a hedgehog who most closely resembles Rose with obvious signs of an unfortunate aging process. In this home, you will find one bathroom—cleaned to a constant shine by Spyke, a kitchen equipped with moderately outdated appliances, two small bedrooms, and a couch. The apartment is dark, the main source of light being a curtained sliding glass door leading to a patio filled with assorted plants ranging from flowers to ferns to bonsai trees.

Of the two bedrooms, one belongs to Irena, while the other is supposed to be shared by Spyke and Rose. One, traditionally Spyke, tends to get the shorthand as he usually, if not always sleeps on the couch—a 15 year old one with cushions lumpy and thin. Spyke is painfully convinced this is his punishment for existing.

That evening, dinner was served: reheated spaghetti. The event goes routinely. Spyke is quiet. Irena asks her daughter, "So Rose, what did you do today?"

"I just hung out with Ryan by the overpass."

"Rose, I've told you a thousand times to stay away from the overpass! You can get in big trouble being there."

"I know, mom. Ryan always goes there to think. I told him to stay away from there too." Rose takes a glance over at Spyke, who is still quiet. "Spyke, what did you do today?"

Spyke takes a second to realize he is being spoken to. "Oh, well I hung out with some friends." In actuality, Spyke was anywhere besides home, alone.

Irena, with a cold, stern voice says, "Probably getting into trouble." She spins the noodles around her fork, taking in a mouthful.

"Mom…" Rose replies, clearly upset by the statement.

Spyke expects no less, and has expected no less for as long as he could remember. From Spyke's observations, it would appear his mother has an extreme dislike for him. She has always noted on this through discussing Spyke's "ill-mannered, bad-tempered father". Just months after Irena became pregnant with Spyke, his father walked out on them. Irena expresses her hatred for Spyke's father through Spyke, the "kin of evil". Spyke's outer shell has hardened over the last sixteen years, and at this point, it doesn't affect his scarred mind. Beneath his short, green quills lies a brain barricaded by an emotional barrier, keeping thoughts and feelings either in or out.

"Mom, could you pass the parmesan?" Rose asks.

"Spyke," Irena demands, "Pass the parmesan to your sister."

Spyke replies, "Half-sister."

"Dammit, Spyke! Just pass the damned parmesan to her!" Irena yells. Spyke promptly passes the cheese.

Though this kind of hostility isn't new to Rose, it still brings tears to her eyes to witness. She bashfully looks away, and Spyke gets up to take his dishes to the kitchen, offering to take Rose's with him, and brings them to the sink. "Thanks for dinner, Mother." Spyke reluctantly says.

"Yes, thank you, Mom." Rose adds.

After dinner, Spyke is buried in his music in their room with his four-string bass guitar. It has no amp at the time being, but it does its job. Rose enters quietly under the sound of Spyke's music and kneels down next to Spyke and hugs him, and refuses to let go as tears silently stream down her face.


	3. Chapter Three, Half Sister

**Chapter Three: Half-Sister**

The next morning, all is well. Spyke feels like all of his emotional pain has moved to his lower back, which in his book is a good beginning to a potentially better day. One of the couch's most infamous lumps resides just below Spyke's shoulder blades. Rose gets up extremely early for Spyke's standards.

"Come on, get up Spykie." Rose says with a great big grin, knowing that Spyke doesn't much care for the nickname. He just gives her a look like he wants to smack her—but of course he doesn't act on it. Spyke merely turns over, his front facing the back of the couch. "Spyke! It's already 9 o'clock!" Spyke is quiet. "Hmph, you're no fun. I guess you don't want to see Michelle…" Rose says with a longing inflection. Spyke turns over to look at Rose, giving her another 'I want to smack you' look.

"What makes you think promises of Michelle would make me get up?" Spyke questions in a sincere and honest way.

"Heh heh, you have some sort of feelings for Michelle, I can tell. She seems to be the only one of my friends you're remotely interested in. You're wasting your time, she's not interested. I don't even know if she's interested in men at all..." Rose snickers to herself.

Spyke gives Rose a new look: the 'what the hell are you talking about?' look. It's one of Spyke's favorites. Rose is no longer amused. Spyke replies in a most sarcastic manner, "Do you really think I have the capacity for love?" Spyke lets off a rare and maybe even endangered chuckle.

Rose, feeling defeated and personally offended, goes into the bathroom to spruce up her quills and brush her teeth. She yells into the living room, "You better be up when I get out!"

It takes a few minutes, but Spyke gets on to his feet. He picks his stud bracelets up off the coffee table, and replaces them upon his wrists. Next, he puts on his typical gloves. Spyke gets ready in 7 seconds flat, much unlike his sibling counterpart. Lastly, he drowsily walks into the kitchen, putting some water into a teapot with the intention of making tea.

Rose, overhearing him pour water, says, "I made you a cup of tea already; It's on the counter!" Spyke glances towards the bathroom. The door was ajar, and he can see her flossing her teeth. He could help but smile—a most unusual act. The tea was exactly how he likes it. Peppermint flavor, 2 small scoops of sugar with a generous drop of milk. The door opens fully with Rose exiting. "A thank you would be nice."

"I was going to thank you… I was just thinking."

Rose, feeling this to be her chance to pry his brain barricade open, asks, "What were you thinking about?"

"Um, nothing in particular. Thank you very much for the tea."

"Yeah, yeah." Rose sarcastically replies.

Much more goes on in Spyke's head than he lets off. Currently, he is feeling an intense gratitude for having a sister who puts up with him. His idea of him being a victim diminishes slightly while she is near. Then, Irena causes them to flare up. It's a vicious and destructive cycle. Still, she has had father troubles as well. Being Spyke's half-sister, Rose has a different father—one who died 13 years ago. Instead of expressing her hatred through Rose, she holds on to those memories through Rose, resulting in a much less strict Irena.

Rose is quite the quirky type. She is the kind of girl you want around, not just to look horrid in comparison to her uncompromising beauty, but just to cheer you up when you're melancholy. She tends to put everyone before herself—something Spyke just can't understand. Though generally strong and confident, she can most often crumble into a pile of self-conscious rubble; especially at the mention of her father.

Her father Will, someone she doesn't have a single memory of, has always been a source of sadness and tears for Rose. Although at the same time, it's hard to miss someone you don't remember. From what her mother tells her, he was much like Rose in terms of her nature to put others before her. Irena, being the kind of being to hold on to bad memories from the past, subconsciously tries to convince herself that that's the reason he died, and not the fact that his health issue was terminal. Contrary to the belief of every doctor she consulted, she always said he would have been fine if he just came out and admitted to his potential illness.

Rose watches Spyke as he stands in place with his cup of tea, though he hasn't taken a sip. Obviously, he is in a state of concentrated introspection "Spyke, tell me what you're thinking…"

"It isn't important." Spyke smiles at her, and she understands what he was thinking. She smiles back. "Put your shoes on, and meet me outside; it's too stuffy in here. We're going to find something to do together for a change."

Spyke hurriedly puts on his shoes, anticipating a pleasurable day.


End file.
